Various foams are currently used in aircraft seat assemblies to serve various purposes. These foams have differing durometers, cell densities, and load deflection. Furthermore, these different foams may be cut, stacked, adhered together, and further formed to suit specific purposes within the aircraft seat assembly.
For example, aircraft seat cushions utilize a plurality of different foams that are stacked and adhered together in order to create desired compression profiles commonly referred to as indentation load deflection (ILD) profiles within the industry. Specifically, these aircraft seat cushion foam arrangements include an outermost foam layer that is resiliently deformable, i.e. having a high degree of compressibility and spring rate. This outermost foam layer is stacked on and adhered to one or more foam layers that form the inner foam layer(s) of the aircraft seat cushion. These inner foam layer(s) are more rigid and far less deformable than the outermost foam layer thereby providing support to the overall foam layer stack, which further aids in achieving the desired compression profile/ILD profile for the aircraft seat cushion.
While the above mentioned foams are commonly used for various purposes in aircraft seat assemblies, numerous problems exist. Specifically, there is added time, expense, and increased margin for error associated with intricately stacking and adhering a plurality of different foam layers together and subsequently forming these adhered foam layers into a desired article (e.g., an aircraft seat cushion). Furthermore, the above mentioned foam stacks can be, in certain instances, quite heavy, which further leads to cumbersome handling and installation of these articles within an aircraft.
In addition to the added time and expense associated with stacking a plurality of different foam layers together and subsequently forming and installing the desired article within the aircraft, these foams are not very breathable often having poor ventilation in which odors can become easily trapped post-installation and post-use within the aircraft. These foams further have poor heat transfer capacity. Both poor breathability and poor heat transfer capacity can lead to aircraft passenger displeasure when the passenger is in contact with the aircraft seating assembly for prolonged time periods. Thus, problems clearly exist with the currently used foams and foam stacks in aircraft seating assemblies.